


Let's Stick it To Hawkins

by bry0psida



Series: Harringrove Advent [23]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas Party, Established Relationship, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Spin the Bottle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 02:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21920509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bry0psida/pseuds/bry0psida
Summary: Billy and Steve are back in Hawkins for winter break. An impromptu reunion party at Tina's ends with an unexpected kiss.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove
Series: Harringrove Advent [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558885
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109





	Let's Stick it To Hawkins

It’s only about a two and a half hour drive from Indiana State University back to Hawkins. Billy wanted them to go somewhere farther, but Indiana State was one of the very few Steve managed to scrape his way into. Billy had the pick of the bunch, got accepted to a whole bunch of schools. Steve told him through teary eyes he wouldn’t hold Billy back from going somewhere better, they could do long distance, or just break it if off if that was better. Billy just shoved him, called him an idiot then crushed him in one of his many bear hugs, said _I go where you go, remember? Not getting rid of me that easy, Harrington_. So Steve dropped it and they went to Indiana State.

Steve had never been more grateful that their last names shared so many letters as when they got assigned the other as roommates. The first thing they did was push their beds together and cover it with one sheet.

College has been a dream. They’re not out, not yet. Maybe when they move to California that’s something they could be. Steve doesn’t feel like they’re missing out now they live together. Although college has them busier than ever, they spend more time with each other than they ever did in Hawkins. No sneaking in or out, no avoiding each other in public, no having to drive out of town for dates. It’s everything Steve could want.

The drive to Lake Michigan is a little longer, which is a real pain in the ass for Billy. Steve knows he misses the beach, misses the sand and the waves and his board. Doesn’t matter, though. Billy said he’d miss Steve more if he had those things. So he makes do.

It’s their first winter break. Neither of them wants to go back to Hawkins. Steve doesn’t wanna stay in his empty house and Billy doesn’t wanna see his awful father. Billy can’t cut him off, not yet, not if he wants to keep Max in his life. Steve’s coming for moral support, so there’s a place for him to go on the worse nights.

Steve’s pretty excited to see the kids, though. He calls Dustin when he can, sometimes the party play D&D over the phone and Steve listens for hours. Maybe he’ll let them rope him into playing this time. Not like he's gonna have much of anything else to do.

Billy’s been tense the last few days. Steve can feel Neil in their lives like a phantom. Been a while since he felt that presence. It’s a quiet drive back. Billy’s behind the wheel, keeps him calm to have something to focus on. Steve’s acting DJ, changing the tapes to what Billy asks and when.

Billy drops Steve off at his house, leaves him with a lingering kiss to the forehead and a whispered _I love you_.

…

Steve doesn’t see Billy the first week. Billy calls him once from a payphone to tell Steve he’s alright, just spending a lot of time with Max. _Things are real bad between Susan and Neil_ , he says. _Looks like they’re gonna get a divorce, don’t really wanna leave her alone_. It’s mostly good news. Divorce means no more Neil and lot’s more Max. Not so great in the short term, though.

He keeps busy with the kids. They play in the snow and watch movies and play board games. Steve makes it about two hours into a campaign before he dies tragically at the hands of an Owlbear.

When he’s not with them, he talks to Robin. She’s at Columbia University on a scholarship, studying Psychology. She doesn’t come home if she can avoid it. Steve doesn’t blame her, just misses her.

Jonathan and Nancy are both back from NYU. Steve’s more than a little surprised they both got in, not so much that they’re still together. It’s good to see them. Doesn’t hurt to look at Nancy anymore now he’s got Billy. They’re better friends. Jonathan’s not so bad either, gained some confidence from college, can hold eye contact as well as conversation now.

Tina’s throwing a party for all the ’84 Hawkins graduates. Everyone’s gonna be there, even Billy. Max is staying with El, so he’s not needed at home. Steve’s not been this excited for a party since Sophomore year of highschool.

Nancy asked if Steve has a girlfriend, he told her yes for the hell of it. It’s only half a lie. He isn’t single, she doesn’t need to know the rest. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder_ , she’d said. She wasn’t kidding, Steve feels like a live wire, he’s so pumped to see Billy again. Gonna be fucking torture not being able to touch him beyond a friendly arm round the shoulder. Not the first time they’ve done it. Only gotta hold out till they get back to Steve’s.

…

Party’s pretty tame considering Steve’s seen how hard kids go when they don’t have to worry about trashing their parent’s house. It’s a little boring. But booze is booze and music is music and weed is weed no matter where you are, so he gets wasted. Why not. Billy’s taking it easy as designated driver, been nursing the same bottle of beer for an hour now. He’s feeling the party more than Steve is, losing himself in the music and the sweaty bodies and the stink of teenagers doing what they aren’t allowed to. Steve just gets more and more wasted, watches Billy enjoy himself from the couch between bong rips. Tommy and Carol flop down on either side of him at some point. Steve hasn’t missed them one bit.

“Oh my god, Steve!” Carol gushes. “I didn’t know you were coming back.”

“Wasn’t planning to,” He passes Tommy the bong.

“So why are you here? Folks home?” Carol asks.

“Never are. Here for Billy.”

“He’s your roommate, right? Gotta be with those last names.”

“Uh huh.”

Carol reaches for the bong. “You know, I heard something.”

Steve’s pretty out of it, but he’s not so out of it he doesn’t realise this isn’t going somewhere good. “And what’s that?”

“I heard the right ear is the _gay_ ear,”

“O…kay?”

“Billy’s got the right one pierced, doesn’t he? Figured you’d know ’n all, since you’re roommates.”

Steve reaches for the beer between his feet, knocks it back. “I really don’t pay attention to stuff like that.”

“I just think it’s funny, you know? Billy’s an asshole but he’s not stupid, he could’ve gone anywhere, but for some reason he goes to the same school as you.”

“Quite the coincidence,” Tommy agrees.

Steve feels like he’s in a minefield, one wrong word and it’ll all get blown to shit. He really needs to be sober to navigate this conversation.

“Carol, just ‘cause a guy doesn’t wanna fuck you doesn’t make him gay.”

Carol doesn’t know what to say to that, Tommy’s losing his shit on the other side of the couch. They must be off again. Steve leaves them there, Carol sulking and Tommy laughing then both bickering. It’s probably a little stupid to look for Billy after that, but Steve just wants to go home, forget all the idiots and get fuckin’ railed. A week is way too long with no sex after near constant dick the last couple months.

Steve finds him on the porch, smoking and chatting with Heather. Steve’s never really talked to Heather, doesn’t wanna impose. Billy spots him loitering in the doorway and waves him over, big smile on his face.

“Steve’s my roommate,” Billy says, wrapping an arm round Steve’s shoulders. “You’ve met, right?”

“Once or twice,” Heather replies. “I’m gonna get another drink.” Then she’s gone. Steve leans against the railing, head spinning just a little.

“So Carol’s still a bitch,” Steve says. Billy huffs a laugh.

“Missed you too, baby.”

“She thinks you’re gay, called us roommates and talked about your ear.”

“My ear?”

“The right one, said it was the gay one.”

“I mean, it is.”

“You’re awfully calm about this,”

“Carol’s an idiot, she can think whatever she wants.” Billy sidles up to Steve, gets an arm round his waist and kisses his hair. Steve tries to shrug him off.

“ _Billy_ ,” he hisses. “Are you drunk?”

“No,”

“Then why are you being stupid?”

“They’re getting a divorce, like, it’s final. There’s paperwork and everything, Susan kicked Neil out two days ago.”

“So?”

“So it doesn’t matter if anyone knows,”

“What about Susan?”

“She feels way too guilty about letting Neil smack me around to ever say anything or stop me from seeing Max,”

“And Max?”

“She’s fifteen, she’s not stupid.”

“And what about my parents, you think they wanna pay tuition for a queer?”

“When are they ever home? Where would they hear Hawkins gossip? Why would they believe it? You’re a different person around them.”

He’s not wrong, not even a little bit. It might just be that Steve’s trashed, but some PDA for shock value is becoming more appealing by the minute.

“What were you thinking?”

“They’re playing spin the bottle, I stop it on you and we go at it.”

Steve giggles. “That’ll be a sight.”

“You wanna do it?”

“Hell yeah,”

Sure enough, there is a game going. Got an awful lot of spectators considering almost everyone at this party is going to college and has played way freakier drinking games. Maybe it’s just for the nostalgia.

They join the circle, sit opposite each other. Newcomers have to spin, so they don’t waste any time at all, Billy spins it hard, lets it go and go and go, then stops it on Steve on purpose. Everyone laughs at first, thinks he’s fucking around, big ol’ flirt Billy Hargrove. Steve wouldn’t have put it past Billy to kiss some guy for the sake of it, just for the reaction. Kids would put it past Steve, though. So he gets on his hands and knees, crawls through the circle like a cat, like he’s got something to prove. He stops in front of Billy, gets a hand in his hair and kisses him dirty as he dares. Billy responds, licks into Steve’s mouth and gets a hand on his ass. There’s a few cheers at first, some wolf whistles, they probably still think it’s a joke. So they keep going till it’s quiet. They break apart with a gasp, string of saliva still connecting their lips. Billy stands, Steve scrambles to his feet, takes Billy’s hand and laughs all the way to the Camaro.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](https://bry0psidawrites.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bryopsida)


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